“Hmm…” Luca said, a smile forming on his lips.
“What?”
Those adorable wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes again, making me want to throw every ounce of caution I’d ever had to the wind.
“Guess I’m not the only one who’s gone soft,” he said, his voice low.
He held my gaze for a moment, and I could feel my pulse thundering in my ears. His lips were parted slightly, and he looked like he was on the verge of saying something—the kind of something that could split my life in two, into a definitive before and after.
“McKenzie,” he began, and my breath hitched in my throat.
“Yeah?” I asked, almost inaudibly.
Before he could get any further, his phone pinged. He squeezed his eyes shut for a second, then retrieved his cell from his back pocket.
“It’s Jo,” he said with an exasperated breath. “I should get back. She and Derek probably need help setting up.”
And just like that, the moment was gone.
“I guess I’ll see you in a bit?” he asked, and I nodded.
“Yeah. I’ve got to get ready and swing by the restaurant to pick up the cake.”
We both rose to our feet, and he scooped Emilia into his arms. I followed him out onto the front stoop and watched him leave, like I had too many times already.
Too many times without him knowing he’s the only person I never wanted to walk away.
I squared my shoulders,letting out a nervous breath as I stepped out of my truck at Luca’s house around 9 p.m. The temperature was a chilly sixty degrees, and the night sky was clear. The small cake I made was nestled safely on the floorboard of my passenger seat. I was about to retrieve it when Jo came running out to meet me in a flowy rust-colored dress, and I prepared for her to read me the riot act about turning the dog into a bouquet.
“Everything is set up,” she said with one of her signature high-pitched squeals. “Dallas is waiting out back with Derek and Luca, but I’ve got Katie in one of the bedrooms with Emilia—who looks adorable, by the way. That was so creative. But anyway, Katie hasn’t been outside yet. I want her to be surprised.” She paused, regarding me with a tilt of her head. “You look amazing. Wow. You’re…you’re, like,hot.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m going to pretend you don’t sound so surprised.”
But she was right. Ididlook hot. I’d taken extra time on my hair and makeup before sliding on a slinky black dress and a shimmery shawl I’d found at the thrift store ages ago that I’d been holding onto for some future special occasion that had never happened. But I figured the wedding of one of my closest friends was a good enough reason, along with the blind hope that the moment Luca and I shared earlier hadn’t been all in my head.
Jo watched as I carefully extracted the cake, and she shut the passenger door for me before we started toward the house under the glow of the outside lamps.
“So, you were able to find an officiant?”
“Yep,” she said with the enthusiasm of five shots of espresso. “And a string quartet.”
“What?”I asked.
She gave me a shrug as though it was normal to just pull a four-piece ensemble out of one’s ass.
“Working in television has its advantages,” she said as we walked. “So, there are some outdoor heaters to keep everyone nice and toasty. Oh, and I didn’t do a ton of food. I hired someone to make a little grazing board, and of course, we have the cake you made. I figured they wouldn’t be able to stay too late, and we have to be home by midnight so the sitter can leave.”
“You really thought of everything,” I said, genuinely impressed.
Jo raised her eyebrows, repeating my own words back to me. “I’m going to pretend you don’t sound so surprised.” She grabbed the front door for me and followed as I placed the cake at the center of the rustic dining table that held the graze board, champagne in ice buckets, and a variety of autumnal flowers.
“Come on,” she said, grabbing my arm. “You’ve got to see Katie.”
I hung my shawl on the back of one of the chairs before she led me to the spare bedroom she’d turned into a makeshift bride’s room, and when she turned the knob, I caught my first glimpse of Katie.
I brought my hands in front of my mouth. “You are stunning.”
She had on the perfect cream-colored lace gown with bohemian sleeves that draped elegantly over her lithe arms. Her hair fell in soft waves around her face, and she wore a flower crown made of cream and orange roses. Emilia slept on a pillow nearby.
